GATE

My name is Froseph and this weekend I watched GATE while it is shorter then most anime being that it was only 12 episodes. I must say it was amazingly well thought out and had a fun premise for the show. If you haven’t heard about it before the summary of this is “Tokyo suffers a surprise attack by forces of the “special region,” who arrive via a suddenly opened gateway that links Earth to their world. Yōji Itami is making his way to a convention center when the surprise attack occurs being in the JSDF he takes charge and with the help of the their far more advanced weaponry and tactics, the JSDF easily repels the enemy’s. After the attack the JSDF goes through the GATE and establishes a base of operation on the other side with which to establish communications with the Romanesque legion on the other side. Itami after being hailed as a hero and receiving a promotion is sent over as well in order to help and his adventures begin.”

Now for anyone that loves sci-fi this idea is very similar to Stargate SG-1 or Stargate: Atlantis. However instead of going out among the stars with multiple Stargate’s and a new world every episode, you get a singular gate that goes to a magic fantasy world with a ruling Empire know as… “The Empire”! Not very imaginative I know but The Empire is cruel and intelligent and willing to do what ever they think is needed to maintain power and win (Much like the goa’uld). However the “Special Region” is very much fantasy based, with dragons, magic and yes even Catgirl’s. While the JSDF helps to defend the people of the “Special Region” many of its people have a sense of awe and fear to the technology of Earth as it is so far advanced it’s indistinguishable from magic. Many think them to be powerful wizards or gods after a run in with a very powerful dragon. Though back on earth the gate is not a secret and so many of the the worlds governments are clamoring to get to the special region and see what new resources they can get their hands on. As well as having to deal with their own government trying to make the JSDF look bad. However their saving grace is the other governments don’t really know everything that is happening on the other side so many of them are sitting back to leave Japan to take the risks. This show has the small bits of many different genres so it is open to a large audience to enjoy.

The characters in this while a bit cliche in the standards of the fantasy or militaristic genres however even with the moments of seriousness it is still funny and light hearted. They did setup a bit of a harem but it is not blatant and definitely is good natured. It has a big main cast as Itami (The protagonist of the series, Itami is a 33-year-old otaku and JSDF soldier), Rory Mercury (A 961 year old demi goddess/apostle of Emroy (God of death, war, crime and madness)) Lelei La Rellena (A 15 year old human Sorcerer’s Apprentice) and Tuka Luna Marceau (A 165 year old Elf who was the sole survivor in a attack on her village by a fire dragon) as well as Itami’s squad the Third Recon Unit with Shino, Takeo, Akira and Mari. That is not including the secondary characters in the “Special Region” and on Earth. Now I could give you a run down of the squad members and the secondary characters but it is better to just go watch it and enjoy. I enjoyed it and can’t wait for season two. I give it two thumbs up or 5 stars or 1 Time Lord depending on the season.